Organized by the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Stop the War Coalition and
South West against Nuclear, protesters gathered to state that 150
heads of state and ministers heading to the Celtic Manor Resort
on Thursday and Friday will not be welcomed.

“Membership of NATO binds European nations – including the UK
– to internationally unpopular US foreign policy, a foreign
policy increasingly unpopular around the world. NATO membership
forces non-nuclear countries to host US nuclear bombs in their
countries, near their population,” CND said in its call to
action.

As well as a strong Welsh crowd, demonstrators came from as far
as the US, Belgium, France and Ireland. More rallies are planned
throughout the week, with the culmination expected to hit
Thursday and Friday, when dozens of world leaders arrive.

The summit is expected to focus on the Ukrainian crisis and what
members consider a Russian role in it, tensions in Afghanistan,
and security challenges across the wider Middle East. In total,
some 9,500 police officers will provide security for the event.
Twelve miles of security fencing was erected in Cardiff and
Newport to ensure the world leaders' safety during the event,
effectively turning the city centers into massive open-air prisons.